An injection molding nozzle having a terminal of a conductive electrical wire, such as an embedded electrical heating element, is well known in the art. In such nozzle, the heating element is embedded in the nozzle body and includes a small diameter resistance wire which connects to a larger diameter conductor to provide a terminal to which an external electrical lead is connected. This type of structure is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,925 to Gellert and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,023 to Renwick. The terminal is housed in a terminal housing located in a rearward portion of the nozzle and which extends radially outwardly from the nozzle body. The terminal housing is therefore prone to damage during assembly and disassembly of the injection molding nozzle within the mold manifold. Moreover, to accommodate the profile of the nozzle, it is usually necessary to machine an opening or receiver in the mold manifold in which the terminal housing can be seated. The opening or receiver is typically required to be machined to strict tolerances, which adds to manufacturing costs. During assembly, the nozzle typically must be oriented in a specific manner such that the terminal housing can be seated in the opening or receiver. This reduces ease of assembly.
Accordingly, the present invention is intended to provide a new nozzle that alleviates, at least partially, one or more of the above difficulties.